A study suggests the UK coffee market is becoming increasingly specialist – with a new wave of baristas accounting for 15% of the market.

The study by Allegra Strategies says that the out of home speciality coffee market, which includes operators like Taylor St Baristas, will also achieve year-on-year (YoY) growth of 13% and double in value to £80.4m by 2020.

This will outperform the standard coffee shop market which is forecast to grow at 10%, added Allegra Strategies.

Transformation

Jeffrey Young, managing director, Allegra Group, said: “The last 3-5 years have seen a significant transformation of the UK coffee market with the explosion of speciality coffee venues nationwide and a particular focus on London and the South East. 

“We have witnessed a growing presence of quality artisan roasters producing volumes of high grade speciality coffee.”

Allegra Strategies said speciality coffee chains such as Department of Coffee and Social Affairs, Taylor St Baristas, and Notes would grow and focus on vertical integration. And it added that branded chains such as Starbucks, Costa and Caffè Nero will adopt speciality credentials, further increasing competitive pressure and contributing to a blurring of lines between branded chains and speciality venues.

Topics